Page 27 of Sugar Baby
“Some shit went down that has me questioning things, that’s all.”
“Questioning things like what?”
“How long I’ma do this. I think I’m ready to step down and give everything to Rhakeem.”
“Whoa.” She paused. “Are you sure you’re ready for that, Son? I mean, I will support you 100 percent, but are you sure it’s time? That’s a whole empire you’re about to give up. That’s a life you’ve built for over half your life. You’re only thirty, so you have time to build a whole different world for yourself. I just want you to make sure you’re ready for that incredible adjustment.”
“Honestly, Ma, I don’t know. I know it’s going to be a huge adjustment, and I think no amount of preparation will get me ready for that. I feel like when I step down, I’ll just have to keep myself busy to completely detach.”
“Is there a reason you’re preparing to make this change now?”
I considered how much I wanted to tell her about Sugar Baby. They hadn’t met yet because things were still so new between us. In my heart and spirit I knew Sugar was the woman I would spend the rest of my life with, but I still wanted us to take things slow.
“Yes, but we can talk about that another day. I’m starting to feel a little better and thinking about that will just piss me off again.”
“Okay, Son. Well, you know I’m here for you. Even if you just want to come over and watch TV and eat. We don’t have to talk.”
“I might take you up on that, Ma.”
“Good. I’ll see you later. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
After ending the call, I texted Tyreek to make sure he was straight before putting my attention back on the road. My mind was on autopilot, because I had no idea where I would end up until I was parking in front of Rhakeem’s barbershop. He was in the middle of cutting a head when I arrived, so I busied myself with looking over the information Tristan had sent me regarding the app while I waited for him to wrap it up.
When he was done, we went back to his office.
“You change your mind about letting Dumb and Dumber live?” were the first words out of Rhakeem’s mouth as he closed the door behind us.
Chuckling, I shook my head. “Not yet. It’ll honestly depend on how much hell Suge gives me. If she don’t take me back, it’s a wrap for their asses.”
He laughed but knew I was serious. “I feel you. Wassup, though? I know this ain’t no social visit for you to randomly pop up.”
We got comfortably seated before I replied. “I know youlove your role of being my right hand, but how do you feel about taking over this shit if I retire? We’ve talked about it briefly in the past but never set anything in stone.”
His brows raised and he released a low whistle as he sat back in his seat. “Damn, brotha. It’s that time?”
“Could be soon. Maybe within the next year or so. Of course I would get things in order for you to takeover smoothly, but if you were interested, I’d start that process sooner than later.”
Rhakeem scratched the back of his head. “You know how I feel about this shit. It’s literally in my blood. I’m cool with being in the streets until the day I die, but I also like being a soldier instead of the head nigga in charge. If you trust me to be able to take charge, I’d be honored to take your place. I wouldn’t want to do it until I had a me for me though.”
“I respect that. I feel like a lot of my confidence came from having you, so I definitely understand if you don’t want to take over until you have someone like you that you can trust.”
We talked for a little while longer before I headed out. Peace consumed me knowing Rhakeem was willing to take over for me. I’d spent the last seventeen years building my empire and there was no one else I trusted with everything I’d built.
As soon as I got in the car, I checked to see if I had a text or call from Sugar. I’d been doing that shit ever since last night when Tyreek told me she listened to the truth. Now, all I could do was wait . . .
Chapter
Seventeen
SUGAR BABY
“That’s it?” I asked, feeling like my face looked as dumbfounded as I felt.
When I brought Tyreek home, I expected his parents to really go in on both of us. Of course, they expressed concern and frustration. What I didn’t expect was the calm understanding they had for both of us.
“Yes, that’s it,” Aunt Terry said with a smile.
